Can Cats Eat Cottage Cheese? A Tiny Bit, if They Handle It

Why cottage cheese is not toxic to cats

Cottage cheese is fresh curds of milk, and it does not appear on the ASPCA's list of foods that poison pets. It is mostly protein and water, and lower in fat than hard cheeses, so a fingertip-size lick will not harm a healthy cat that tolerates dairy.

The catch is lactose. The ASPCA explains that pets have little lactase, the enzyme that breaks down milk sugar, so dairy can cause diarrhea or digestive upset. The Cornell Feline Health Center adds that many cats are lactose intolerant, which is why milk is not generally recommended as a cat treat.

Salt and flavored varieties

Cottage cheese is often surprisingly salty, and large curd, small curd and whipped versions vary. Choose plain, low-sodium, low-fat cottage cheese if you share any at all, and check the label for added flavorings.

Avoid cottage cheese with chives, onion or garlic, which the ASPCA lists as able to damage a cat's red blood cells, with cats more susceptible than dogs. Fruit-on-the-bottom and sweetened versions add sugar, and some low-calorie dairy products use sweeteners that are best kept away from pets.

How to offer cottage cheese

Offer a dab the size of a pea on a fingertip or the rim of a saucer, on its own, so you can see clearly whether it agrees with your cat. Do not mix it into their main meal the first time.

Wait a full day. If your cat's stool stays normal and it shows no vomiting, a small taste every so often is fine. If your cat has loose stool after even a little, it is one of the many cats that do not tolerate dairy, and it is best to stop.

Many cats do better with small, slow portions, and a puzzle feeder or a slow feeder bowl helps with both.

How much cottage cheese a cat can have

For an average adult cat of 8 to 12 lb, about a quarter to half a teaspoon of plain cottage cheese, no more than once or twice a week, is plenty. Cornell recommends keeping all treats to about 10 to 15 percent of daily calories.

Cats with kidney disease, urinary problems, pancreatitis, obesity or food sensitivities should not be given cottage cheese without their vet's approval. Some prescription diets carefully control protein, phosphorus or sodium, and an extra dairy treat works against that.

Kittens and cottage cheese

Kittens should not be given cottage cheese. VCA Animal Hospitals notes that kittens lose much of their ability to digest lactose at about 12 weeks, and diarrhea can dehydrate a small kitten quickly.

Young kittens need their mother's milk or a kitten milk replacer, and weaned kittens need complete kitten food and fresh water. Use a kitten treat for rewards and handling practice instead, and keep tubs of cottage cheese and other dairy out of reach on counters and tables.

Signs cottage cheese disagreed with your cat

Dairy trouble usually shows within a few hours to a day as soft stool or diarrhea, gas, a rumbling belly or vomiting. It typically settles once the dairy stops. Itchy skin or repeated tummy upsets after dairy can point to a food sensitivity.

Call your vet the same day if diarrhea lasts more than a day, contains blood or comes with vomiting, lethargy or refusing food. If your cat ate cottage cheese with chives, onion or garlic, call your vet or ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435; a fee may apply.

Better protein treats for cats

Cats are obligate carnivores, as Cornell puts it, and a thumbnail-size piece of plain cooked chicken, turkey or white fish gives the protein of cottage cheese without the lactose. A little plain scrambled egg, cooked without butter or milk, is another option.

Freeze-dried meat treats made for cats are simple to portion. If you were hoping cottage cheese would help a poor eater, talk to your vet instead.

This page is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your pet.